Air diffuser for auditoriums and the like



Dee., a, ma, L, L, LEMS 1,737,661

AIR DIFFUSER FOR AUDITOHIUMS AND THE LIKE Filed June 21, 1927 l Patented Dec. 3, 1929 PoEATIoN E NEW JERSEY EY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro CITY, NEW JERSEY, A coa AIR DIFFUSER FOR AUDITORIUMS .AND THE LIKE Application filedr June 21,

This -invention relates to Ventilating and air distributing, systems, and particularly to outlets through which air may be discharged into and distributed in rooms. Heretofore it has been frequent practice to discharge conditioned air into the' room through outlets or fopenings in the ceiling, and in order to distribute this ingoing air laterally or more or less in a horizontal direction beneath the ceiling, deflectors, rosettes, or pans have been suspended just below the ceiling in alinement with the discharge openings, so that all or a considerable -portion of the air striking the distributing pans or devices will be deflected 'laterally.

Artists and architects have objected vigorously tothe use of such deflectors or pans -spaced below the ceiling, because of the fact that they destroyed the beauty of ceiling de- 20. signs, cast shadows,

or spoiled thel decorative scheme or artistic edect sought to be conveyed by a particular design. AIn some instances Where head room is limited, the pans or dellectors suspended below the ceiling have interfered. with or obstructed the line of sight.

' An' object ofthisvinvention is to provide an improved air distributing outlet useful for Ventilating and air distributing systems,

with which there will be no yprojections majterially beyond'the interior surface of the ceiling or walls of the room in which the outlets are located;

ably interfere with the artisticdesign of the ceiling or walls of a room; which will not 'cast shadows; which will elfectively diuse or distributethe discharged air latjerallyand along the wall through which the outlet opens; and

which. will not interfere with sight lines.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved air distributing outlet, which maybe disposed entirely outside of a room; which will effectively distribute or diifuse the air discharged thereby laterally in 45, one or a plurality of directions; which will vbe inconspicuous in appearance; and which may be constructed'to conform to artistic designs one may desire to of the room through which the outlet opens. 5 A further object is to provide an improved and broke up the lines which will not objecti'ony place upon the Wall` 1927. serial No. 200,365.

air distributing device or an outlet for air conduits, by which air may be deflected laternovel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter 1n. connection with the appended claims. In the accompanying drawingsz- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation through a portion of the ceiling and roof of a theatre or auditorium having Ventilating and air distributing outlets opening through the ceiling in accordance with this invention.

lFig. 2 is a sectional elevation, on a somey what larger scale, of one of the distributing air ducts.

. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the bottom part of such a duct,- and showing in greater detail the discharge tubes or nozzles; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, on a somewhat larger scale, of the bottom part of a distributing duct and showing one example of a mounting'for the discharge tubes or nozzles.

In the illustrated, embodiment of the invention, the room l to be ventilated or supplied with air may have a ceiling 2' of any suitable or desired form or construction, the ceiling in the particular example selected having'a dome portion arising from a central portion of the ceiling. This dome portion may be of circular, elliptical, polyhedral or of any other desired shape, vand around the base of the dome avdischarge or distributing air duct -or conduit 4 maybe provided connected, at one or more points, to a main air supply conduit 5, such as through branch or Spider le drop conduits 6. This duct or lool conduit may'also take the form of a straight or curcved line, or lines following some well establlshed feature of the decoration, such as a beam -or line of offset in the ceiling. These matter of convenience, t e distributing duct 4 may be built around a channel beam 8 forming a part of the ceiling construction at the dome, although the channel beam is an un essential feature', and in no way mater1ally -aflects or modifies the action of the outlet.

Along the bottom or other desired lateral wall of the conduit, a plurality of discharge passages, nozzles or tubes 9 may be arranged,

' and these discharge nozzles or tubes open outwardly through the ceiling 2, with their lower or discharge ends substantially flush with the interior or room surface of the ceil- These tubes are oblique to the room surface of the ceiling and preferably arranged at a relatively small acute angle to said surface, such as less than fortytive degrees, so as to dischargeair in a plurality of directions as closely as possible parallel to the ceiling or other wallthrough which the outlet opens or discharges air. ome of the tubes or passages may be arranged to discharge obliquely into the room at one side of. the axis of the distributing conduit, and others to discharge into the room at an approximately opposite direction with respect to the` axis of the distributing conduit.l For example, the tubes may be arranged in such a manner that alternate tubes will discharge in the same direction, with adjacent tubes pointing obliquely in approximately opposite directions as shownf clearly in the drawing. These tubes have considerable length and project well into the interior of the conduit in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of the distributing conduit, that is, transversely of the direction of air flow in the distributing conduit.

The tubes are preferably substantially straight or given lengths sulicient to cause theair passing through the same to be given substantially the same directionasthe axis of that tube. The lengths of the tubes, for

- example, lnaybe materially greater than the minimum cross sectional dimension ofthe tube, so that the air passing through the tube will remain therein-long enough to be given a direction of travel which will be parallel to the axis of the tube instead of bein given merely an eddy iiow or partial de ection. The tubes may be stacked, one upon the top of the other, to whatever height may be desirable, or one or more partitions 9EL may be placed in a single tube to give the proportions ,or ratio of length to depth which are necessary to control the deliection ofair By properly arranging the discharge tubes or nozzles at the desiredv inclination to the ceiling, the wideness of distribution or diffusion of the air discharged thereby may be accurately determinedy or controlled. The v nozzles or tubes are in effect branch passages vThe air. discharge tubes or nozzles may be l v in that wall of their conduit which faces the room to which they lead, and While preferably the distributing conduit having the tubes or nozzles is located entirely outside I0f but adjacent the room, it willbe understood that in some instances the conduit may run more or less within the room very much as a beam, the purpose of the tubes or nozzles be'- ing to distribute the discharged air in such a manner that diffusion ofthat air with'the air of the room will take place before-striking occupants of the room and subjecting them to direct drafts. i i

' The inner end of each tube 9 is preferably oblique to. the axis of the tube and o ensv upwardly tojfacilitate the' entrance o air thereto and to reduce to aminimum the eddy currentsv produced by the change in direction of the air entering the tube from the distributing `conduit and the plane of the outer end of the tube is parallel with and substantially flush with the plaire ofthe wall through which it opens. The tubes 9 may be used without grille coverings for l-their dischargeends, and the most"` efficient results are obtained without obstructions to the open ends of the tubes. However, it has been found that excellent results may also be obtained when the discharge openings of the tubes are concealed orcovered by grille work, which may have a decorative design.

ln Fig. 4, one example of the use of decorati ve grille work is illustrated, in which the tubes 9 are secured in a suitably reinforced ceiling or-walll 2, and a grille plate 10 may be secured to the under face of this ceiling wall in any suitable manner, so as' to cover. the discharge openings of the tubes 9. Any desired mounting `of the tubes 9 in the ceiling` 2, however, may be employed, instead of that illustrated.

In the preferred construction, 'the airv is conveyedthr'ough the main duct 5 at a fairly high velocity, the velocity being reduced in the drop passages 6, and still further reduced in the distributing duct or conduit 4. It will be observed .that the entire outlet, and Jthe sup ly and distributing conduits may be and/ pre erably are disposed exteriorly .of the room, and that the outlets open into a room in an inconspicuous manner, and in such a teln for a room and in combination, an air supply conduit ruiming adjacent and approximately parallel toa wall of said room and having air discharge passages opening into said room through a lateral Wall of said conduit and substantially flush With the room surface of said Wall, each of said passages extending obliquely to said surface and at their inner ends opening into said conduit in directions transverse to the direction of travelyof the air along the conduit.

2.. In a Ventilating or air Adistributing system for a room and in combination, an air supply conduit running adjacent and approximately parallel to a Wailof said room and having air discharge passages Aopening into said room through a lateral Wall of said conduit and substantially iinsh with the room surface of said Wall, each of said passages extending obliquely to said surface and at their inner ends opening into said conduit in' directions transverse tothe direction of travel of the air along the conduit, some of said passages discharging air in one direc-- tion into said room, andothers discharging air in approximately the. opposite direction in said room.

3. In a Ventilating or air distributing system for a rooin and in combination, an air supply conduit running adjacent and approximately parallel to a wall of said room and outside of said room, and discharge tubes projecting into said conduit from a lateral Wall thereof and arranged With their outer discharge ends substantially flush With the room surface of the wall, and opening into said conduit'indirections transverse to the direction of fluid travel in said conduit.4

4. In a Ventilating or air distributingsystem for a room and inv combination, an air supply conduit running adjacent and approximately parallel to a Wall ofl said Vroom and outside of said room, and discharge tubes rojecting into said conduitfrom a lateral wall thereof and arranged with their'outer discharge ends substantially fiush with the room surface of thewall, said tubes projecting into said conduit at an inclination' to said wall surface and in a directiontransverse to the direction of air iow in said conduit.

5. In a ventilatin or air distributing system for a-room an in combination, lan air supply conduit rnnning ad]ant andy apceiling,

- extending obliquely to c their inner ends opening into said conduit 1n v the` axis of said conduit.

proximhtely parallel to a wall of saidv room and outside of said room, and discharge tubes arranged in said conduit and discharging through a lateral Wall thereof substantially flush with the room surface ofthe Wall, said tubes being substantially straight and eX- t tending into said conduit in a plurality of directions transverse to the direction of air flow in said conduit..

6. In a Ventilating or air distributing sys teni for a room and in combination, an air supply conduit running adjacent and approximately parallel to a Wall of said room a-nd outside of said room, and discharge tubes 'projecting into said conduit from a lateral Wall thereof and discharging through said I Wall substantially flush with and obliquely .to the room surface of the Wall, said tubes being substantially straight and projecting into said conduit in directions transverse to the direction of air flow insaid conduit.

7 In a Ventilating or air distributing system for a room having a ceiling, and in combination an air supply conduit running above but approximately parallel to said and having air discharge passages opening downwardly through and obliquely to said ceiling, the lower ends of said passages being-substantially flush with the room surface 'of said. ceiling, each passage being substantially straight and extending transversely of the direction 'of air flow in said conduit. v

A 8. In a Ventilating or air distributing system for a room and in combination, an air supply conduit running adjacent and approximately parallel to a Wall of said room and having into said room through a lateral wall of said conduit and substantially flush with the room surface of said Wall, each of said passages said surface and at directions transverse to the direction of travel of the air along the conduit, theinner ends of said passages being oblique to their axes and opening towards the lateral Wall of the conduit opposite that .through which the passages discharge.

9. An air distributing device comprising a conduit, a plurality said conduit from a lateral wall of said conduit, at a relatively small acute angle to said lateral Wall, and in directions transverse to 10. An air distributing device comprising air discharge passages openingv of tubes extending into a conduit, an'd a plurality of tubes extending l through a lateral wall-of said conduit and opening at their inner ends into said conduit in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of said conduit, said tubes discharging f from said conduit alternately at opposite inclinations to said lateral wall of said conduit.

11 All air o v a conduit, and a plurality of tubes extending through a lateral wall-of said conduit and opening at their inner ends into said conduit in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of said c onduit,'sai'd tubes discharging from said conduit-alternately at opposite in clinations to said lateral wall of vsaidconduit and having their outer discharge ends substantially iush with said lateral wall.

12. An air distributing device comprising a conduit, and a plurality of tubes extending .through a lateral `wall of said conduit and v opening at their inner ends into said conduit in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of saidconduit, said tubes discharging from said conduit in. directions making acute angles less than to said lateral wall.

13. An air distributing device comprising a conduit, and a plurality of tubes extending through a lateral wall of said conduit and opening at their inner ends into said conduit in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of saidconduit, said tubes discharging from said conduit in directions making acute angles less than 45 to said lateral wall, some tubes discharging towards oneside of said conduit and others towards the opposite side.

14. An air distributing device comprising a conduit, and air discharge tubes arranged in said conduit transversely to the longitudinal axis of said conduit and at an acute angle of less than 50 to a lateral wall of the conduit, the inner and inlet endsof the tubes opening into said conduit and the outer and discharge ends being substantially Hush with said wall.

` 'LEO L.I LEWIS. 

